Making guns and electric guitars is pretty impressive, but it seems as though the current boom in 3D printing advancements has found found a proper use. Well, a proper, somewhat poetic use which is currently in beta stage. Researcher and Instructables DIY project site team member Amanda Ghassaei has discovered a way to use the technology to turn any MP3 into a fully functional vinyl record.
Via Pierre Priot

So what would you do if you only had 30 minutes to spend on social media?How would you prioritize your tasks so you make the absolute most of your valuable time?I tend to find pockets of time throughout the day where I wish I could be as productive as possible in windows here and there. When a 30-minute window opens up, what should I be doing to maximize my time on social media?Here are some ways I’ve attempted to use my 30-minute chunks, and maybe they’ll spark some ideas for your marketing spurts as well. I’d love to hear what solutions you’ve found, too!...
Via Jeff Domansky

Analytics platforms are essential for merchants to glean insight into what drives their traffic. Google Analytics is the popular choice, but there are many other analytics tools available.Here is a list of analytics tools to help you collect and measure your customer data. Some of these applications are general analytics programs, akin to Google Analytics, to quantify traffic. Other applications look at specific aspects of the customer and should be used in conjunction with a general analytics program....
Via Jeff Domansky

It is so IMPORTANT to chart where you are and where you are headed in business. Analytics are a necessary tool for todays businesses. Peak Reputation, Inc will help you chart and plan effectively and efficiently. #PeakReputation #Brandloyaltythroughmarketing

“Prince lands two concurrent chart-topping debuts as Art Official Age crowns Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, while Prince & 3rdEyeGirl’s Plectrumelectrum awards the musician his first No. 1 on Top Rock Albums.”

If you’re a Grooveshark user, you should probably start backing up your collection. In a decision released Monday, the United States District Court in Manhattan has found Grooveshark guilty of massive copyright infringement based on a preponderance of internal emails, statements from former top executives, direct evidence from internal logs, and willfully deleted files and source code.
Via Pierre Priot

“When I go to Disneyland, I race to the famous rides first: Splash Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Indiana Jones. They're the biggest and best. But there are many attractions I miss in my sprint for the headliners.Social networks are like the rides at Disneyland. There are so many social media sites and features that some are bound to slip through the cracks.Which Facebook, Twitter and the other major social network features have slipped under our noses? Here are 41 tricks and tools for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.”
Via Jeff Domansky

Every little tip you can gather will be useful... to someone. In the fast pace of change on some social networks it's useful to revisit some of the little details that can help make things easier, faster, more fun.

“ I love to collect words. Making word lists can help to find the voice of my story, dig into the emotion of a scene, or create variety. One of my on-going word collections is of colors. I love to st...”
Via Kathleen Cercone

“ The fact that U2 are letting people hear Songs of Innocence for free speaks to their diminishing powers – but the launch also suggests Apple fears for iTunes”
Via Pierre Priot

The Songwriting School of Los Angeles's insight:

Anyone who thinks U2 has now endorsed the fallacy that music should be free has missed the paradigm shift of this licensed release. The ripple effects of the move , however, will be felt in various ways. As with any "first," time will bear out the true measure of the decision. Read Bono's own words on the value of art and artists and the music yet to be made.

In case you were not aware, Gracenote is the firm behind providing the metadata for your media. The firm has just expanded their reign by buying rival Baseline for $50M to enhance their movie & TV data service presence. For those who provide the metadata for movies and TV shows (cast list, plot descriptions, etc.) is very big business as you may imagine. It’s so good in fact, that Gracenote wants to be the leader of the pack
Via Pierre Priot

“ Firstly, I do not claim to be the original creator/inventor of bulletproof coffee. The original bulletproof coffee was developed by Dave Asprey, also known as the Bulletproof Executive... I wholeheartedly thank Dave for his awesome contribution, but my...”
Via Stephanie Jo Rountree

The Songwriting School of Los Angeles's insight:

Hmmm...we haven't tried this yet, but next to pen, paper, guitar, or keyboard, surely coffee is a writer's essential tool.

Using hashtags, acronyms & the right slang is a great way to get more Likes and followers on Instagram.Terms like #TBT, #WCW & #MCM can be confusing at first. I was lost when I first started using Instagram!I always wished I’d had a handy guide to explain all the lingo.That’s why I wrote this article — because speaking the Instagram slang is such an easy way to get more followers. So here are definitions for 32 of the most common Instagram terms....
Via Jeff Domansky

The unexpected sales success of music formatting last year has been labelled ‘The Vinyl Revival’. Laura Creed, Superfi has delved into how and why the cult following for vinyl has resurfaced in this booming digital age. Alongside this, she questions the popularity of digital and what this could mean for the music industry. Below is an explanatory info graphic into the research findings. Following the info graphic is further commentary to compliment the graphical representations of the study.
Via Pierre Priot

Music Tank in my opinion is a very reliable source, considering the fact that it is a sector based network for the University of Westminster in England. As for the article itself, it contains many charts, graphs, and infographics that relate to the recent popularity and rise in sales of vinyl LPs.

The infographic in this article is really cool, as it gives a lot of great visual representations of how music sales have been shifting in past years. It shows that, while vinyl is still only a small sliver of total units sold, it's growing by leaps and bounds and has a very promising future.

With not many advertising options available for marketers who'd like to use Instagram, a growing trend is the use of influencers—Instagrammers with a large following—to help with marketing efforts.Influencer marketing is not a new concept. You've probably seen it before on blogs, Facebook Pages, Twitter, and other social media outlets. Instagram, though? It puts all the others to shame!Instagram influencer campaigns can yield tremendous results because of the amount of engagement each post generates. Studies have found that Instagram engagement rates are up to 58 times higher than that of Facebook and 120 times higher than Twitter's....
Via Jeff Domansky

“Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton is lighting up the top of the charts this week as “Bringing Back the Sunshine” debuts at No. 1 on the cross-genre Billboard 200 and Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart with 101,000 albums sold.”

The most successful content marketing is marketing that transcends the transactions and provides a glimpse into the company's personality, says Jay Baer in this video and short blog post.Terry: So when a company’s just starting with content marketing, what are some key performance indicators, basic KPIs that they could start with in order to start measuring the effectiveness and success of their efforts?Jay: It depends on the type of company and whether they’re B2B or B2C or how they sort of track their actual business in the real world. But, generally speaking, I think the best way to look at content programs is to say:“Do people care about it? Is there proof of caring?” And a lot of times you can measure that just anecdotally. You don’t have to necessarily have a whole complicated scheme.For an example, there’s a company called Life Technologies – a major global manufacturer of scientific equipment. They have this great content program where they take their product catalog and they execute it as a series of YouTube videos that are chained together with annotations.So it’s almost like a choose-your-own adventure product catalog....
Via Jeff Domansky

The next time you see someone greeting a little girl, pay attention to what they say to her. “You’re so pretty!” “I love your dress!” “Look how beautiful you are!”While these things are kind and well-intended, “pretty” does nothing but fade and lay the foundation to keep desiring that which we first received reward and praise for.(So here are 30 other things I hope I’ll tell my daughter one day, things I hope she’ll want to be praised and rewarded for more than what she looks like.)....
Via Jeff Domansky

“ There are many reasons a student can lose focus in school. It can be bad grades that will discourage them to be inactive and to rebel. It can be the environment that can be stifling and suffocating for the students. It can be the fact that many of them don’t find it easy to see …”
Via Kathleen Cercone

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.